A Solution in Sight: Vision 2020, Global, Local, and with Libraries

Vision 2020 is not a new project. In fact, they’ve been an official initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and many other organizations since 1999.

Reason Two
“A major challenge is access to ophthalmic information. All institutions need both information resources and staff skilled at providing access to information and training others to use these resources. Thus, resource centers and their librarians are key players in the effort to meet the goals of Vision 2020. There are also many barriers to finding and using eye care information resources in developing countries. Among them are the cost of resources, connectivity and training; lack of awareness of available resources and the skills to use them; difficulty retaining skilled librarians; and librarians who are unable to use their knowledge and skills.”
Vision librarians tackle avoidable blindness: http://elsevierconnect.com/vision-librarians-tackle-avoidable-blindness/

The need for information support, and the barriers described regarding access to health information are as true of most (if not all) other health conditions as they are of eye diseases and ophthalmologic conditions. Consider the idea of more closely connecting librarians to health information needs at all levels!